Disabled groom-to-be with Wolverhampton roots wants to change 'computer voice' to Birmingham accent for wedding day
A groom-to-be with cerebral palsy wants to change his ‘robot' voice for a Birmingham-style accent so he can say ‘I do’ on his wedding day with his local twang.
Jack Wells, 21, relies on a computer system that he operates with his eyes in order to communicate, similar to the system used by the late Professor Stephen Hawking.
But his current voice has a North American accent and has left Jack wanting to get back to his roots and sound like his family from Erdington, Birmingham.
He is now working with his college, National Star, in Cheltenham, Glos., to search for a suitable voice donor with his native accent in time for his big day.
Jack, who has had athetoid cerebral palsy since birth, said: “When I get married I want to say the most important words in my life, with my own voice.
“I want to say ‘I do’ at my wedding with a Birmingham voice because I am from Birmingham.
“My electronic voice doesn’t tell you where I am from. I sound more like a cyberman out of Dr Who.
“I didn’t get my first voice until I was five-years-old. My first words were ‘I love you mum and dad’. Of course, I made everyone cry.
“Since then I have owned four of these devices, each with their own robotic voice.
“Some make me sound like an old man and this one makes me sound like someone out of Dr Who.
“I feel like my current voice doesn’t even pronounce Brummie slang correctly.
“My family come from Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is important to have my own voice because it is part of my identity.
“I want to feel like me when I give my wedding reception speech in 2026.
"Then I am going to use my new voice at an Aston Villa game so that for the first time ever I will fit in with the rest of the crowd.”
